For transporting a patient support panel (e.g., an operating table panel), a trolley is normally used, which often includes a motorized drive unit and at least one steerable wheel, so that the patient support panel can be moved along a desired path line from one location to another. Instead of being in the form of a trolley, the transport device may also be designed as a mobile operating table for transporting a patient.
The transport device can include a drive unit (e.g., an electric motor) for rotatably driving at least one of the wheels, which can simplify transportation of the patient support panel, possibly with a patient lying on the support panel.
Rail-bound transport devices for moving a patient support panel along the path line predetermined by the rails are already known. Transportation, which is substantially jolt-free and therefore handles the patient gently, is thereby ensured, but transportation can only take place along the rails. The use of rails has the further disadvantage that considerable efforts are required for maintaining the entire transport system, including, for example, the transportation device and the floor surface over which it moves, in a hygienically clean state.